I miss my dad.?

Question

Well In september ofd 2006 my dad died He was a resident of Illinois He was kinda mently ill and a really bad alcoholic and wasnt in my life from time i was 7 Its pretty hard to explain how he was But he was really bad he tried to commit suicied but his girlfriend called the cops My dad then threatened the cops with a knife, and they felt they had no choice but to shoot him 3 times with a beanbag shotgun. But the 3 one went through the side of his head and he was in a coma for 4 days. I didn't find out till about a week after. Now My mom and I are sueing the illinois police department under wrongful death. My question is, do you they could have delt with the situtation diffrently. I mean why not use a REAL gun and shoot him in the foot or something? WHY the head. He had a leg injury at the time, and he is pretty small. I don't see why they had to shoot him in the head for him having a knife. PLEASE if you don't have anything supportive to say, don't say it I don't need hurtful comments

I believe I do have a case, as so the lawures [sp?] that are preparing the case. We are sueing them, but the process will take 3-5 years. So please, don't say we don't have a case, as we do and they are working on it.

Answer 1

Cops are trained to be thugs...they act like it as well. Sue them for every penny you can get.

Answer 2

Not sure if this could be considered supportive or not. Of course the Police could have dealt with the situation differently. They could deal with all situations differently, but the simple truth is; no matter how they deal with it, they still put themselves in jeopardy of a libel suit. The logistics of all civil and legal issues are so muddied up these days that the conventional wisdom is to end the situation as soon as possible, that way further issues or injuries are less likely.

As for shooting your Dad in the foot or leg or something, I can only tell you that the bean bag has not been on the front page as a murderous weapon. I live in a city that has a University, about two years ago during a small college riot a student lost his eye due to a bean bag shot from the Police. All I'm saying is: This kind of stuff happens. If you are wondering about the suit... Don't! Let the jury do it's job on this one. And, good luck.

Answer 3

When faced with a person with a weapon, cops are trained to expect the worst. Remember, they didn't know your dad, his background, his personal problems, anything like that. All they know is they came on the scene and here's this guy waving a knife around and probably yelling. First thing they do is tell the person to drop the weapon. If he doens't comply, they then take the next measure. In this case it was to use non-lethal action (the beanbags). However, these things don't aim real well - I doubt anyone was aiming for the head. They are most effective against the body as they knock the breath out and hurt like the dickens.

I guess your lawyer has a plan of action and it may well win. But don't hate the cops; what would you do if you had a wife and kids at home and while you're at your job you're confronted withe someon yelling at you and waving a knife around?

Answer 4

When using the bean bag, officers are trained to aim for center body mass.
That being said, a shotgun is not the most accurate firearm and what happened to your father was not only unfortunate, but a tragedy. I am sorry for your loss.

The police can't use a real gun to just shoot someone in the foot, because a real gun is considered lethal force. Even if they shoot someone in the foot, it may not make that person drop the knife, and then what would the officers do next? They would have someone with a gunshot wound to the foot, who is bleeding, but whom they cannot render first aid to, because he is still armed with a knife.
It sounds like the officers did what they were trained to do, and wanted to take your father into custody, but it went terribly wrong.

Answer 5

No one on these boards know all the details. This not the place to ask for input. Work out the hurt and loss you have had over these years, and the fact you will never get to have him in your life.
Let the attorneys work this out. I am an attorney, and I could not render a guess of what happened in all its details. As your civil lawyers prepare the case they will bring the police officers (cops if you will), and ask them hundreds of questions. None of us will be on the jury, and asking the folks here to back you, will be to no avail, since you do not what negative feedback. Could the police have done something different? Sure. They could have shot him in the head with a real gun, or in the belly, or just said, "we are going to back out and call in swat." The long and the short of it is that we were not there. I am sorry for your loss. Time will heal it some.

Answer 6

It is tragic what happened to your father, however it is very misguided to blame the police. It sounds like they used proper restraint when they used a bean-bag gun against him instead of just shooting him with a regular gun.

The police do not shoot people in the legs and the arms due to the possibility of injuring an innocent bystander with a ricocheting bullet. It makes great TV and movies, however it does not play-out that way in real life.

They shoot the bean-bag gun to immobilize the subject so they can quickly disarm him. They don't really aim well and go in the general direction in which they are fired. They are normally non-lethal and are the appropriate response it a situation like this.

A knife is a deadly weapon and police officers have been killed in the situation you describe. They should be (and are) allowed to protect themselves and innocent bystanders. While it it sad, your father created the situation that led to his death, not the police. Try not to hate the police for protecting themselves in a dangerous situation. Ask yourself: what would you do if you came across an armed person you did not know that appeared to want to hurt people?

You may very well win a case because the courts don't always apply common sense to situations. If you continue down that road I expect you will find out just how hollow that win will be.

Answer 7

You most likely do not have a case. Despite what an earlier poster stated, the police do not like injuring or killing suspects that is why you see the long, negotiated standoffs instead of charges with guns blazing. Most police will not have to shoot their guns as suspects even once in the course of a career. Killing a suspect will very likely result in the end of the policemans career because of emotional damage. Police have to react to violent situations in an instant and take the time to ponder if there might be a better way. You can be certain that this is not the way the police wanted the incident to end.

Answer 8

Hi,

Have you tried to put your self in the position of the police. When ever I feel wronged by another party I first try to honestly see things from their side of the fence. What would you have done if you were being threatened with a knife? Did they follow acceptable police procedures?
If they were negligent and did their jobs incorrectly then sue them. But, you will have a long road in court. The court trial is going to be really hard. I hope you are ready for it.
From someone who was abandoned by their parents who's mother is now dead I can tell you that no amount of money will heal the wounds surrounding this situation. Making the police, who were probably just doing their job, suffer is not going to help either.

God Bless You as you seek peace in your heart and life!

Answer 9

Im sorry to hear this hon. I dont know the laws in IL but i do know in NY if an officer is threatened they are trained to shoot. Unfortunatly I learned this by a friend being shot in leg by an officer and my friend in turn taking the gun he had and killing himself. I has asked my cousin about the situation and he bluntly said "they shot him in the leg? well they missed" and he explained to me how if they are threatened they are to shoot to kill not to injure. Unfortunatly, we have to take into consideration that the officers usually have families to go home to as well. Unfortuntatly your father should of been hospitalized for his illness. Its not necessarily a bad thing but most times, it can be treated with the proper treatment. I hope this helped and always remember your father is always spiritualy with you...just pay attention and you will know he is there. He is only gone physically from you and in time you will be reunited. (ive lost many ppl in my life and that is the way i cope)